The parents of a UKG student have complained to the Block Education Officer that their son, who was admitted to a private school under RTE quota, was harassed by the school authorities.
On Tuesday, the parents approached RTE Students' and Parents' Association and the Education Officer, alleging that the school had asked them to take a transfer certificate, since the school was not happy with the child's academic performance, reports Tanu Kulkarni for The Hindu.
“They are saying that my child is not coping like the other children. But my child was ill and missed classes for several days. Despite that, he has scored C+, which the school is saying is low," the student's mother was quoted as saying.
The report states that when the parents argued with the school authorities against their decision, the school had asked the student to appear for a test to "solve the dispute".
The student's mother pointed out that if the child is transferred out of the school, then looking for another school would be problematic, given their financial standing.
According to the report, B.N. Yogananda, General Secretary of the Association, said that action should be initiated against the school management, for violating provisions of the RTE.
Confirming that they have received a complaint in this regard, Block Education Officer North Range 1, Govinde Gowda, told The Hindu: “We have received a complaint against the school management. We will ensure that the school falls in line and the child continues in the same school.”
Earlier in March, the same newspaper had reported a similar incident at a CBSE school in Jalahalli, which asked underperforming students to take a transfer certificate. This was done so that the schools could project 100% results in Class 10 exams, the report said.
Several private schools in the city have previously come under the scanner for their discriminatory treatment towards students admitted under the RTE quota.
For instance, Department of Public Instruction (DPI) had received several complaints last year, after many schools demanded that parents of students admitted under the RTE quota, pay for uniforms and textbooks. This, being a violation of the act, saw the DPI issuing a circular banning such practices.